Day 343, My time in Mseleni has been typified by the many adventures I’ve had, so it felt only right that I end with one. For the last six months, my lifelong ambition has been to see mountain gorillas in the wild, and a trip to Uganda with my friends proved my swansong adventure in Africa.
Expecting the oppressive heat I was pleasantly surprised by the cool evening landing in Kampala. Soon enough though we found out there was plenty else to be suffocated by other than heat. As we drove to our hotel our senses were bombarded. The smell of industrial smog permeated as we stood bumper to bumper with the din of traffic. Motorcycles buzzing around like flies carrying everything from bananas to families, cacophonous honking of truck horns, and the smell of fresh and cooking meat and vegetables accompanied us all the way.
The gorillas live in a mountainous area to the east of the country bordering Rwanda and the DRC. We took a 9 hour, dusty road trip to the region which included crossing over the Equator. A brief stop to confirm the Coriolis Effect and the science geek in me was satisfied.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a fairly ominous sounding prospect for those at the peak of their physical prowess, so I was already tentative about my chances even before the trek began. A briefing from our guides on procedures and likely animal behaviours and we were allocated to the Mshiya family group, but this did not mean a guaranteed sighting, it all depended on the guile of the trackers and a little bit of luck.
The trek started through the outskirts of a mountain village. Ordinary people walked passed us as I already started to puff. By the time we reached start of the steep climb I was in trouble. Luckily the trackers ahead had radioed to let us know they had found the family on the other side of the hill, it just meant a further hour’s trekking at 2,000 feet and climbing. My friends were coping well but I convinced them to stop so I could rehydrate on more than one occasion.
Luckily conditions were perfect; the ground was dry, the air cool, and the gorillas unusually close by. Any other circumstances and I may not have had the energy to get to the top of the hill. It was mid morning when we met up with our trackers, we’d followed the path they had macheted and we stood with only a layer of dense foliage prevent us from seeing the animals. A little disappointed at first, we realised that the scouts were continuing to hack away the vegetation.
We snuck a quick glimpse, a face of a baby and what looked to be a Silverback. Still we waited trying to steal the odd glance, taking in the atmosphere of the moment. Once the animals were comfortable they ventured into the open. First it was the Silverback, sitting in the shade and munching away at shoots and leaves. Then we ventured further on to watch as the female climbed up a tree to have breakfast. Lastly it was the toddler, 3yrs old, swinging through the branches and gawping at the strange people and their little clicking machines. Mesmerised, we stood there for what felt much more than the allotted hour.
On the journey back down I was able to concentrate on the misty mountains and the vistas around me, and it began to dawn on me what a privilege it had been to be in their presence. Only a handful of people are allowed everyday and the arduous trekking is limited to those who are capable. With only 760 of them left in the world one hopes that the conservation efforts reap success.
For my part, this is the sort of experience that I would not have been brave enough to venture into in the past. But thanks to my adventures in Mseleni I have already begun plotting my other lifelong ambitions.
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